Haunted
by RebelGeneral
Summary: Charles sails upon dangerous waters in search of a memory that still haunted him. A Vaneeleanor Mermaid AU.


He had never been a curious man, but there were some things that stayed with him. Faint memories of mind tricks, easily dismissed at that time, but reemerging as he heard many speak of a familiar sighting. A haunting similar to the one clawing at his sanity.

For years, he'd sailed on these forbidden waters, his men reminding him time and time again not to play with fate. No man could return untouched, they implored. But his obsession had gotten the better of him, their warnings no barrier at all against his strong purpose. He'd taken this voyage many times before, but this time, it seemed the gods were finally with him.

Thunder rolled above ominously, lightening giving form to the horizon otherwise cast in shadow. As the men shouted in panic, he smiled. Too long had he waited for a storm to grace their path, too long to find trace of how real was this memory.

So when the crew braced for their final night on earth, he knew this was only the beginning.

A wreck emerged in the distance, another ship doomed at the hands of the storm. The ocean glistened with it's fire, readying to embrace the fallen into it's depths. Waves crashed upon their own ship, threatening to deliver a like destiny. His men watched in horror as the water claimed the ship before, ravaging it mercilessly yet still eager for more. They cursed him to the deepest pits of hell for this folly and prayed to any god yet listening, but above all they shut their eyes for what was to come.

But not _him_.

He had neither curses nor words of faith, for if he was to believe in anything this night, he needed his eyes vigilant. Their ship headed for the wreck, the ocean casting an invisible rope, drawing them closer and closer.

It was then when he saw them. But he had eyes only for one.

She rested on the wreckage, hands sprawled across it possessively. Her golden hair formed intricate waves in the wind, her face serene as she looked right back at him. It was as if time stood frozen and body as well, his eyes unable to blink.

So many years had flown past, yet it felt as though he was reliving the same moment. Time had not changed her, she had the same face that frequented his dreams, the same knowing look as though she could peer into his very soul and take out all pain, all agony, leaving only lightness and joy.

He wondered if she remembered.

As if reading his thoughts, she smiled at him then, her head moving in what seemed like an indiscernable nod. A low whisper echoed in his mind, but not one of his own making.

 _Charles._

It was her voice, soft and mystic, pushing him further into a trance. What bit of reason still left in him raged and thrashed against this magic, calling him frantically, begging him to break this spell. But among these calls, hers were the only ones that reached him.

She was filling him up with what she felt, her emotions coursing through his veins and making his heart race faster than ever. He could feel the sadness that clenched his insides, the powerful sting of loneliness. But there was something more.

 _Need._

He could sense her want for him. It travelled through his entire being with a surreal intensity, shaking him to the core. A desire unlike any he's ever felt before.

Just as he was almost overcome by her presence in him, she smiled. Only it was a wicked smile, one that made the previous warmth she offered grow damp and cold. Her eyes sparked with a mischievious glint and she laughed, the sound booming inside his head, driving him to the very edge of his sanity.

 _She was toying with him_. Her foul trick complete, she gave him one final look of contempt before flinging her body from the wreck into the ocean. Scales on her fin glimmered on the surface a while, dancing slightly as if still mocking him.

And just like that, his mind became his own again. His eyes searched the water and the wreckage they'd passed behind, but he only saw darkness. The ocean had engulfed her along with her spoils. Now she would prey on the fallen.

Morning arrived with clear skies causing the men to rejoice, but bringing him only bitter misery and disappointment. Already reason gripped at memory and labelled it as a ruse, a moment of wild imagination set ablaze by near death and danger. With time, it would grow fainter and fainter just as it had before and he would wonder if it had happened at all. If he was lucky, she would haunt him in his dreams and whisper his name, calling him back to the sea where they could be one again.

He knew in his heart that he would return, for she had taken a piece of him with her leaving only an empty vessel in it's stead. Years it may take, but he would battle these echanted waters and follow those dark skies in hopes of reuniting with her once more. After all, what need did he have to fear a storm when she stood at the end of it to claim him?


End file.
